• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 31, 2010

Sears, the market leader in power lawn and garden tools, is launching a new effort to win over the lawn-mowing crowd, including a TV spot -- a Web application called the Sears Yard Guru -- and a national contest to beautify one lucky town's public spaces.

"We know that the majority of Americans have been cutting back on spending on landscaping services, and are interested in doing more themselves," Martin Lee, CMO of Sears' lawn and garden business, tells Marketing Daily. And, while price is the most important factor in what type of mower people buy and where they purchase it, in this category, experience is the No. 2 driver.

"Experience is already something Sears is good at -- we're the market leader, and our Craftsman brand is one of the category's strongest, as well. So we're just trying to extend that experience to more consumers, through this site as well as our Sears Blue Lawn & Garden Crew, and make the decision-making process easier."

The Web component -- the guru asks questions about yard size, terrain and location -- is critical, he says, "because our research found that people spend up to three hours online researching their mower purchases." The site not only narrows down the list of best mowers, it offers feature-by-feature comparisons, and gives the prices at other leading retailers, including the Home Depot and Lowe's.

In addition to online and in-store advertising, a TV spot is breaking to promote the guru site, Lee says. Another key part of the promotion is a national "More Green Across America" contest, encouraging people to nominate baseball fields, playgrounds, or green spaces in their communities, writing a short essay on why they deserve a makeover. Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt is the spokesman for the contest.

Sears will narrow the essay and photo entries -- logged at moregreenacrossamerica.com -- down to 10 worthy projects, and by April 21, allow the public to start voting. Because so many areas have had steep budget cuts, Lee predicts many towns will be excited about the chance to win free equipment and labor, and generate interest.

The grand prize winner gets a new yard tractor, mower, line trimmer, edger, blower and more, as well as a visit from the Sears Blue Lawn & Garden Crew to bring the beautification project to life.